Begin with a complete bibliographic citation in MLA style. (Instructors for other courses at SCU may require APA or another style, but for this English course you will use MLA.) The citation is followed by the annotation. The annotation should answer the questions below, if relevant. Answers will be found in the item itself and in introductory pages, table of contents, via web searches, etc. Use your critical thinking skills!
FACTS
• What kind of work is it: book? chapter? scholarly journal article? popular magazine article? webpage?
• Who is/are the author(s)? What are their qualifications?
• Who is the intended audience: scholars? general public? industry professionals? political groups? etc.
• Who is the publisher or sponsor?
• Does the work include significant appendices, statistics, data, images, web links, etc.?
• How well documented is the research/writing?
CRITICAL COMMENTS FOR SECONDARY SOURCES
Answering the following questions requires critical thinking on your part. Comparing your information sources helps.
• What was the author's purpose in researching or presenting this material?
• What conclusions are drawn? Issues raised? Are the conclusions/issues adequately substantiated?
• Can you detect any biases or fallacies in the arguments or conclusions?
• Is anything lacking? Do you still have questions about the material?
• How effectively is the information presented? Well written or not? Well organized or not? Good supporting material, such as graphics?
• How does this information source compare with others you have read on the topic?
• How useful was this work to you in your research? What role did it play?
For a sample Annotated Bibliography Entry in MLA Style, click here.
Some material adapted from the UC Santa Cruz Library website, http://library.ucsc.edu